PARENTHOOD

The Guardian's Madeleine Bunting is given a hard time by my side of the blogosphere - usually for good reason. Yet there's a lot of common sense in today's column on how society treats the rearing of children as something less than an afterthought:

A bias against having babies has permeated our culture. This phenomenon needs a new word - anti-natalism... . The problem about motherhood (and, to a lesser extent, fatherhood) is that it comes at the cost of failure - or at least compromise - as consumer or worker, or both...

[T]he self we are encouraged to develop through much of our education system and early adulthood is of no use whatsoever to a new parent. What use is that sassy, independent, self-assertive, knowing-what-you-want- and-how-to-get-it type when you fast forward five years to the emotional labour of helping a child develop self-confidence?

Being a man, it's taken me years to get to grips with all that, and I'm still only halfway there. (Yes, I know it sounds like Ive been overdosing on the muesli, but it's true.) Bunting's admission that women need to re-learn their priorities as well is a sign of how things have slipped. It would sound quite unremarkable coming from Melanie Phillips. But from La Bunting?

Elsewhere in the Grauniad, a quote that will irritate Samizdata's Jonathan Pearce. From Tory education spokesman, David Willetts:

Someone described a libertarian as being someone in favour of childless immortals. My personal and autobiographical definition of conservatism is a free marketeer with children.

An excellent piece about ideas, philosophy and change. Definitely worth a look.

UPDATE: Norm has a few doubts about anti-natalism.

Comments

[Johnathan Pearce]

Just a cheap shot, not an argument, Clive. No need to get snarky simply because I put Mr Dreher's rather silly musings through the shredder.

[Clive Davis]

Jonathan,
Not meant as snarky at all. I should have added a smiley, but they always come outlooking too cute. BTW you didn't shred Dreher's "musings" because you didn't actually address them, as I pointed out before.

[Johnathan Pearce]

Clive, fair dos on the main point. Well, I thought I did address them, but maybe was fairly blunt about it.

I actually have read Dreher''s site and after which, I get the feeling that he is the sort of guy who would wish that the locomotive of western, garish capitalism could slow down for a bit for us all to catch our breath. Well, if he wants to make that choice, fine. My main concern with this sort of "crunchy" (why crunchy, why not chewy?) conservatism is it sounds like an excuse for yet more state control in our lives. Being one of those crazy Samizdata libertarians, I am not too fond of that.

Another thing: Willet's remark sounds like a clever crack, but I would not want to repeat it in front of Milton Friedman (a great grand-dad), or any other libbos who have kids.